Garcelon Bog, Property of Ecological Importance, Permanently Protected
December 5, 2011
GARCELON BOG, PROPERTY OF ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE, PERMANENTLY PROTECTED
Land Trust partners with City of Lewiston to achieve land conservation, advance economic development
The Androscoggin Land Trust and the City of Lewiston are celebrating the permanent protection of Garcelon Bog, one of the city’s most important ecological features. City-owned properties totaling approximately 100-acres, including the bog and located within walking distance of the Farwell School neighborhood, are now conserved through a through a conservation easement held by the Androscoggin Land Trust (ALT). The project was a partnership between the land trust and the City in its effort to seek permits for the construction of the Gendron Business Park II off Alfred Plourde Parkway.
While the City will retain day-to-day responsibilities for the property, the land trust is legally responsible and committed to making sure the conservation easement is upheld, thus protecting the bog from development in perpetuity. While it is now protected from development, recreational and educational access is allowed and encouraged.
Garcelon Bog is a unique ecological feature in the City and contains a variety of natural habitat types including forested, open and emergent wetlands that support a wide variety of plant and animal species. There is now a boardwalk and a trail into the bog available for environmental educational purposes and recreation to highlight the ecological importance of this natural gem within the second largest urban area in Maine.
"After more than a decade working to conserve this important part of Lewiston, and knowing that a generation ago this same section of the city was slated for a major highway development, it is exciting to reach this positive end for the community in protecting this gem,” states Jonathan LaBonte, executive director of the land trust. According to City Administrator Ed Barrett, “We are pleased to work with the Land Trust to conserve a portion of this unique habitat located in the heart of Lewiston at the same time that its preservation will add to our efforts to improve our economy by expanding the Gendron Business Park. These efforts show the City’s commitment to both quality of place and quality jobs.”
The Androscoggin Land Trust and the City of Lewiston will convene an informational meeting of neighbors, land owners and other interested parties on Thursday, December 8 at 6 pm at Farwell Elementary School on Farwell Street in Lewiston to discuss what restrictions exist in the conservation easement. The meeting will also include leaders from the Stanton Bird Club offering highlights of Garcelon Bog’s ecological relationship to another local treasure, the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary.
The Androscoggin Land Trust is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) membership-supported organization dedicated to protecting, through land conservation and stewardship, the important natural areas, traditional landscapes, and outdoor experience in the Androscoggin River watershed.
If you would like more information about this topic or the upcoming meeting, please call 782-2302 or email: mauger@androscogginlandtrust.org
ATTACHMENTS:
Photos highlight the area now permanently conserved as well as the new boardwalk trail constructed by the City as part of the project.
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Additional Photos : ( Click for full size )
